Latest news with #MuralFestival
The Province
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Province
'Art for art's sake': Vancouver muralists ignite bold comeback with Astro Arts Festival
After the end of the Vancouver Mural Festival, local artists are reclaiming the city's walls with free creative expression and a new event in Mount Pleasant. Drew Young with his art outside of the Astro Club artist facility in Vancouver. Photo by Arlen Redekop / PNG When financial pressures abruptly shuttered the Vancouver Mural Festival last year, after nearly a decade of turning neighbourhood walls into vibrant public canvases, the city's street art scene lost its biggest stage. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors But instead of letting the paint dry, artists like Drew Young, one of the festival's founding curators, are reigniting the movement with this weekend's Astro Arts Festival. Young and his collaborators are launching a grassroots comeback, transforming a corner of Mount Pleasant into an outdoor gallery. Six new murals will be unveiled, while 30 artists paint live on-site, creating works ranging from graffiti and traditional street art to large-scale experimental pieces. 'We want to continue the legacy that was started with the Mural Festival,' Young told Postmedia. Unlike the previous festival, which relied on public funding and sponsors, Astro Arts is artist-led, community-driven and collaborative. While corporate sponsors remain, their funding is not tied to specific murals, allowing artists full creative control over their work. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'They are painting murals, which typically cost from a few to tens of thousands of dollars, to create whatever they want,' explained Young. 'It's truly art for art's sake.' Drew Young with art outside on the Astro Club Artist Facility in Vancouver. Photo by Arlen Redekop / PNG Fuelling the Vancouver mural revival is the Astro Club, a creative hub co-founded last year by Young and Steff Love. Housed in a repurposed industrial building, it now supports more than 60 working creatives and includes a workshop, photo studio, boardrooms, gallery space and a mural production company. The walls of 165 West 4th Ave. have been transformed into a vibrant tapestry of murals in anticipation of this weekend's festival. Towering above them all, Young's bold design dominates the building's western facade. 'It's all about energy,' Young said of his mural. He described the piece, The Obsidian Void Wake s, as an orange orb of heat above shimmering black obsidian, symbolizing the energetic spark that's carried from the Mural Festival to this weekend's Astro Arts. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It represents an unextinguishable creative spirit in Vancouver,' he said. Two years ago, Young organized an event where dozens of artists painted murals freely on the walls of the sprawling alley behind the Astro Club. The success of that project, known as Astro Alley, became the foundation for this weekend's festival. 'Everyone just came alive. It was like we remembered what we were doing this for,' the artist said. The inaugural festival coincides with the return of one of Mural Festival's most popular events — The 100 Amigos , an exhibition curated by Young, Pablo Zamudio and Douglas Coupland. Opening Friday, it will feature 100 original 12-by-12-inch works by local artists. Astro Arts will also feature DJ sets, beer gardens, immersive installations, open studios, artist talks, art raffles and an artist market. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. At its height, the former Vancouver Mural Festival turned public art into paid, sustainable work for hundreds of local artists, offering fair pay, high visibility and revitalizing neighbourhoods from Mount Pleasant to Burnaby. Today, many artists still rely on mural projects for up to 70 per cent of their income. 'Opportunity has dwindled locally,' said Young. 'We are in a lull right now, until development picks up again and there is a demand for more projects in new building hallways, lobbies and facades.' In the meantime, this weekend's festival will showcase the talent of local muralists available for hire, reinforcing the message that Vancouver's art scene isn't going anywhere. sgrochowski@ Read More Vancouver Canucks News Sports Vancouver Whitecaps News
Vancouver Sun
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
'Art for art's sake': Vancouver muralists ignite bold comeback with Astro Arts Festival
When financial pressures abruptly shuttered the Vancouver Mural Festival last year, after nearly a decade of turning neighbourhood walls into vibrant public canvases, the city's street art scene lost its biggest stage. But instead of letting the paint dry, artists like Drew Young, one of the festival's founding curators, are reigniting the movement with this weekend's Astro Arts Festival. Young and his collaborators are launching a grassroots comeback, transforming a corner of Mount Pleasant into an outdoor gallery. Thirty-five new murals will be unveiled, while 30 artists paint live on-site, creating works ranging from graffiti and traditional street art to large-scale experimental pieces. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'We want to continue the legacy that was started with the Mural Festival,' Young told Postmedia. Unlike the previous festival, which relied on public funding and sponsors, Astro Arts is artist-led, community-driven and collaborative. While corporate sponsors remain, their funding is not tied to specific murals, allowing artists full creative control over their work. 'They are painting murals, which typically cost from a few to tens of thousands of dollars, to create whatever they want,' explained Young. 'It's truly art for art's sake.' Fuelling the Vancouver mural revival is the Astro Club, a creative hub co-founded last year by Young and Gabriel Love. Housed in a repurposed industrial building, it now supports more than 60 working creatives and includes a wood shop, photo studio, boardrooms, gallery space and a mural production company. The walls of 165 West 4th Ave. have been transformed into a vibrant tapestry of murals in anticipation of this weekend's festival. Towering above them all, Young's bold design dominates the building's western facade. 'It's all about energy,' Young said of his mural. He described the piece, The Obsidian Void Wake s, as an orange orb of heat above shimmering black obsidian, symbolizing the energetic spark that's carried from the Mural Festival to this weekend's Astro Arts. 'It represents an unextinguishable creative spirit in Vancouver,' he said. Two years ago, Young organized an event where dozens of artists painted murals freely on the walls of the sprawling alley behind the Astro Club. The success of that project, known as Astro Alley, became the foundation for this weekend's festival. 'Everyone just came alive. It was like we remembered what we were doing this for,' the artist said. At the heart of the inaugural festival is The Mural Wrap, an installation of six massive murals that encircle the entire block. The event will also feature DJ sets, beer gardens, immersive installations, open studios, artist talks, art raffles and an artist market. Astro Arts also coincides with the return of one of Mural Festival's most popular events — The 100 Amigos , an exhibition curated by Young, Pablo Zamudio and Douglas Coupland. Opening Friday, it will feature 100 original 12-by-12-inch works by local artists. At its height, the former Vancouver Mural Festival turned public art into paid, sustainable work for hundreds of local artists, offering fair pay, high visibility and revitalizing neighbourhoods from Mount Pleasant to Burnaby. Today, many artists still rely on mural projects for up to 70 per cent of their income. 'Opportunity has dwindled locally,' said Young. 'We are in a lull right now, until development picks up again and there is a demand for more projects in new building hallways, lobbies and facades.' In the meantime, this weekend's festival will showcase the talent of local muralists available for hire, reinforcing the message that Vancouver's art scene isn't going anywhere. sgrochowski@
Chicago Tribune
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Highwood, Highland Park moving forward with public-art plans; ‘It becomes that destination where people want to … see all the murals'
Highwood's Mural Festival last year launched the city into what one former official dreams of as a new art-filled era for the community, and the project's success has become a 'proof of concept' for other neighboring municipalities, officials and organizers said. Highland Park, the original planned location for the mural project, has since amended its ordinances to be more mural-friendly, and will discuss extending murals into part of its exterior grant program, according to James Lynch, executive director of the Arts Center Highland Park. It's a vindication for two of the main drivers of the project — Laura 'Lulu' Reich, an art curator and Highland Park native, and CJ 'Koz' Kozloff, who has an extensive background in videography and the art world. They said they're big advocates for any community bringing artwork to its walls. Reich had originally reached out to Lynch several years ago about bringing murals to Highland Park, but Lynch said a 'glitch' in the city's ordinances, where murals were still considered as advertising, temporarily put off the endeavor. That's where Eric Falberg, at the time a Highwood alderman and president of Celebrate Highwood, jumped in. Lynch had been working with Highwood on a separate project, and he pitched the idea for murals. It moved forward quickly. 'I really have to commend the City Council and Celebrate Highwood,' Lynch said. 'It took a lot of vision to say yes to the plan.' Falberg sees the murals as an opportunity to breathe new life into the city, making it a destination for art tourism. Beyond the dozen pieces painted during last year's mural fest, Falberg said the campaign is far from over. The city plans to add one or two more murals every year, and make Highwood the Midwest version of Wynwood Walls in Miami, where street art murals draw crowds. 'You get to a certain threshold, I think it takes on a life of its own, and it becomes that destination where people want to come up and see all the murals,' Falberg said. Lynch said the initial delay was something of a missed opportunity for Highland Park, but the city has been moving forward with its own efforts, tailored to its specific community and attitudes. Bringing about the project required extensive coordination and investment between local officials, organizations, businesses and artists. Lynch called it a 'perfect storm,' with Highwood's eagerness to move forward and Reich's and Kozloff's creative expertise. Reich had a similar assessment. It takes 'a lot of trust and approvals' from officials, and 'creativity and manpower' from artists. By Falberg's measure, Highwood was uniquely positioned to move forward with the project. While other municipalities may struggle with too many hands in the pot, Highwood is 'lean and mean,' he said, more 'adventurous' and willing to give creative leeway to the artists. Both artists and officials agreed that such artworks provide a variety of community benefits, from the aesthetic to the economic. Now a former alderman, Falberg looks back on the project with satisfaction. The reactions have been positive, even surprisingly so, he admitted. People have spoken to him repeatedly about how much they've loved the works. For Reich, who was born and raised in the area and plans to return again from New York, it's been an 'incredible' experience. Kozloff also spoke glowingly about the response, noting how much more welcoming the community has been compared to the Big Apple, and how impactful it was to see the direct impact of art. The couple has spent countless hours and weeks travelling back and forth to Highwood from New York to work on the murals. This week, they got to see the completion of the most recent addition to the collection — Highwood's name written out in colorful balloons escaping from a doorway. If Reich and Kozloff, along with officials like Lynch and Falberg, have their way, it'll be only the beginning.
CTV News
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
What's On in Montreal: June 6
A woman takes a selfie in front of a graffiti mural in Montreal. (Chrisna Senatus/ Looking for something fun to kick off the month of June? There's a lot to choose from in Montreal. Astrofest Hit the annual rendez-vous for sky-watchers. Astrofest promises telescopes and science activities for all. The event runs at the Montreal Planetarium from 10 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. For more, click here. Mural Festival Why not check out Saint-Laurent Boulevard for the annual Mural Festival? See art installations, musical shows and technology exhibitions until June 15. You can explore the route for free or opt for a paid guided tour. Find all the information you need here. Clue: On Stage Now is your chance to immerse yourself in a murder mystery production. Catch Clue: On Stage at the Segal Centre. Tickets start at $33 and they're selling fast. The show runs until June 29. For full details, click here. Model Train Exposition The Montreal Model Train Exposition is on. Buy and sell miniature trains and scenic collectables on Saturday and Sunday. More than 40 model railroads will also be displayed. Admission is $10 for children and $15 for adults. More on the event at the Dorval Arena can be found here. FringeMTL The Montreal Fringe Festival continues at various locations until June 15. Roughly 500 artists are participating in dances, performance theatre, music, comedy, spoken word and more. Find all the information you need on ticket rates and programming here.
